Love Child
by AnnDee
Summary: Legitimacy does not preclude love. Balsco Fic.


"Love Child"

By: CarlyMorgan

Rating: PG

Summary: Legitimacy does not preclude love. Shane finds out the truth.

AN: Lyrics by R. Dean Taylor, Frank Wilson, Pam Sawyer, Deke Richards

* * *

_You think that I don't feel love  
What I feel for you is real love  
In other's eyes I see reflected  
A hurt, scorned, rejected_

_Love child  
Never meant to be  
Love Child  
Born in poverty  
Love Child  
Never meant to be  
Love Child  
Take a look at me_

Gigi stood leaning in the doorway of her son's room, her head resting on the jamb. She watched Shane sleep, making sure his little chest rose and fell without any interruption, out of habit, born of fear. Her eyes briefly flickered over to the dresser to make sure he had his inhaler there – just in case. She ran a hand through her short, dark hair with a soft sigh. Her heart was aching for her son, her whole world.

She saw how hurt he was when people called him names like bastard, illegitimate, and once: baseborn. Gigi had to look up the latter, and rolled her eyes much in the way she was doing now, thinking about it.

Some mean-spirited little idiot had gone off on Shane about his illegitimacy today, and for some reason it had hit the young blond hard. Maybe it was because Brody was gone. Or maybe it was because Shane had overheard a conversation and had started questioning who his father really was.

Gigi wiped an errant tear as she looked at the matching tracks drying on her son's cheeks. Her little man had been so brave earlier, bluntly asking her if Brody was really his Dad. It was then that she realized she couldn't keep the truth from him, that it was no longer for the best to allow him to believe any differently from the truth.

There had been a lot of crying, and yelling, and even a few "I hate you"s from her son that felt like someone was trying to carve her heart out with a wooden spoon.

_Love Child  
Never meant to be  
Love Child  
(Scorned by) Society  
Love Child  
Always second best  
Love Child  
(Different from) Different from the rest_

_  
_"Hey Baby, how was school?" Gigi asked as Shane walked into the carriage house, the door slamming slightly in his wake. She winced, "Not that great huh?"

Shane sat down on the couch next to his mother, "Justin called me a bastard today."

Gigi's face scrunched up a bit as she worried her bottom lip and muttered, "I prefer the term love-child" as she wrapped an arm around her son, "We've talked about this, Shane-"

"I KNOW, Mom," Shane rolled his eyes, reminding her yet again of how much he was like Rex. "He was mad because I got picked to play catcher when he wanted it."

Okay, another thing that reminded her who her son's father really was.

"If you know that, why do you look so upset?" She asked.

Shane shrugged her arm from his shoulders, "Mom, I need you to tell me the truth."

"About what, Baby?"

Shane took a deep breath and turned, and looked up into his mother's hazel eyes with his blue ones, "Is Brody really my dad?"

Gigi felt like her whole world stopped and her mouth fell open to respond, but nothing audible escaped her lips as she stared down at her son.

"Is the reason you wouldn't go out on a date with him or anything because he's not really my dad; and, you are in love with Rex?" Shane asked, fighting to keep his lower lip from trembling.

"Where did you get your smarts kid, it certainly wasn't from me." Gigi gave him an awkward smile, "I'm sorry Shane. But no, Brody isn't your father."

Shane shook his head, almost like he was having a fit and stood up, "HOW COULD YOU LIE TO ME MY WHOLE LIFE!!"

"Baby, I didn't want you to think that your father didn't love you, or want you, or was a bad person."

_Don't think that I don't need ya  
Don't think I don't want to please ya  
But no child of mine will be bearing  
The name of shame I've been wearing_

Shane ran his hands back and forth over his blonde locks in frustration, "Was he, was he a bad person? "

Gigi thought about the boy Rex was and the man he'd become, he wasn't perfect but no one was, and unlike others, he didn't try to be, "NO…no he's not a bad person."

"Then he didn't want me?" Shane whispered, his blue eyes watering, and his lower lips almost giving a little pout, making him look closer to five than ten.

Gigi's eyes widened and she rushed over to her son, getting on her knees before him and trying to pull him into her arms but he wouldn't let her. "No…no Baby…he didn't leave US." She bowed her head, "He left ME. He didn't know about you."

"You didn't tell him?" Came the accusation.

"He'd left before I knew you were on your way and I never heard from him again until…" Gigi bit her lower lip and took a breath; she was going to tell her son the whole truth, "Until he walked into the Bonjour Café."

Shane's face scrunched up in confusion as he tried to figure out what his mother was saying. "Did you tell him about me then? Did he not want me then?"

"NO" Gigi grabbed Shane's arms, "I didn't tell him…I almost did, but I didn't, and then he was gone and I didn't see him again until we came back here to Llandview. " She took a deep breath, "When he found out I had a son…Shane he asked me if you were his…and I lied to him Shane. I told him no, and he believed me. I'm so sorry, Baby, but I was afraid he would hurt us, he would leave us, leave you, and you would be hurt…but I was wrong, Baby. He's a good man and..." she trailed off.

Gigi could feel her son's little body trembling and she was almost afraid he was about to have an asthma attack.

"Is…Is Rex my Dad?" He whispered.

All Gigi could do was nod the affirmation.

_Love Child  
Love Child  
Never quite as good  
Afraid, ashamed  
Misunderstood_

The rest of the night had been filled with crying and anger, and eventually forgiveness. At least she hoped her son would forgive her.

She watched as the boy she'd created on a magical Fourth of July eleven years go in the basement after playing Playstation slept, her love child. Yes, he was illegitimate, and some people's archaic views still stung. The dirty looks - when they found out she wasn't married, had never been married, had had a child as a teenager - hurt. But, she would never change anything for the world. He was her love child, emphasis on the love.

_I'll always love you  
Always love you_


End file.
